British Army soldier under investigation after threatening MP with ‘civil war’ over Brexit
Serviceman posted tweet reading: ‘C***s like you will perish when civil war comes and it’s coming’
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A serving British Army soldier is under investigation after abusing an MP and threatening “civil war” over Brexit.
Daniel Goshawk called Labour’s Angela Rayner a “stupid b****”, adding: “C***s like you will perish when civil war comes and it’s coming. 17.4 million people are gunning for blood if we don’t leave.”
He was replying to a tweet where Ms Rayner criticised the attorney general’s response to a Supreme Court ruling that the prorogation of parliament was unlawful.
Mr Goshawk’s Twitter profile, which has since been deleted, described him as a “serving British Army soldier” who lives in Didcot and included a photograph in combat fatigues.
Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, said: “This is an unacceptable tweet from a member of the British Army to Angela Rayner.
“This foul language goes against the values of the armed forces and is now being investigated by the Army and civilian police.”
Lt Gen Ivan Jones, the Commander Field Army, offered a public apology to Ms Rayner and anyone affected by the “appalling tweets”.
“He does not represent the remarkable men and women in British Army who serve this nation,” he added. “Rest assured this is being dealt with.”
A 32-year-old man of the same name, and of Vauxhall Barracks in Didcot, was convicted of two counts of assaulting a woman last June.
Daniel Goshawk was sentenced to 100 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay costs at Banbury Magistrates’ Court in October.
A person also using the name Daniel Goshawk posted a comment on a 2015 story on migrants protesting at a Cyprus RAF base that suggested anti-Islam views.
“Religion of peace eh,” it read. “Simple stick them in a plane or boat and send them back, these people don’t want our help or generosity they are here for a nice house and free money and health care, and then try impose their way of life onto us.”
In 2014, a Lance Corporal Daniel Goshawk, then aged 28, was commended for heroic service in Afghanistan.
Army officials would not immediately confirm whether the incidents related to the same man, and whether he had been reprimanded after the assault conviction.
Mr Goshawk’s Twitter account had also shared tweets criticising pro-Remain MPs and judges.
Ms Rayner described the message as a “usual vile tweet I get daily”, but it came amid mounting alarm over death threats and abuse suffered by politicians.
Boris Johnson is embroiled in a row with MPs after rebuffing calls to moderate his language around Brexit, while a man has been charged with attacking the office of Jess Phillips MP on Thursday.
Police have named right-wing extremism as the fastest-growing terror threat in Britain, following the thwarting of seven attack plots since March 2017.
The armed forces have been increasing efforts to crack down on right-wing extremism following a series of scandals.
A leaflet on “extreme right-wing indicators and warnings” compiled in 2017 urged servicemen and women to report behaviour including “claiming immigration is the root of injustices” and becoming angry at perceived threats to national identity.
Last year, a British Army soldier was jailed for being a member of banned neo-Nazi group National Action.
Lance Corporal Mikko Vehvilainen had been trying to recruit fellow soldiers for National Action in preparation for a race war to “cleanse our lands”.
Among his targets was Private Mark Barrett, who was acquitted of terror charges but discharged from the Army.
Last month it was revealed that two supporters of the Generation Identity white nationalist group were serving in the Royal Navy, prompting an internal investigation.